Railway axle journal lubricator structure



Dec. 29, 1959 J. J. HENNESSY RAILWAY AXLE JOURNAL LUBRICATOR STRUCTURE Filed June 11, 1958 RAILWAY AXLE JOURNAL LUBRICATOR STRUCTURE James J. Hennessy, Chambersburg, Pa., assignor to Hennessy Lubrieator Company, Inc., Chambersburg, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application June 11, 1958, Serial No. 741,358

Claims. (Cl. 308--84) The invention relates to railway axle journal lubricators of the general type described in United States Patent 2,827,341 issued March 18, 1958 to the present applicant, and embodying a pump and distributor assembly for insertion in a journal box of the Association of American Railroads (A.A.R.) type beneath the journal.

The objects of the invention are to facilitate the positioning of the lubricator in the box so that it will be held against undesirable shifting during operation, and to insure the supply of lubricant to the journal during the initial operation period after the journal pump has remained inactive for an extended period.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a selected embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an A.A.R. journal box mounted upon an axle journal and having a lubricatorembodying the, invention in operative position in the box.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section online 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a corresponding section on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal section and top View on line 44 of Figure 2.

The box has a bottom wall 1 curved upwardly at 2 to merge with a front end wall 3 beneath the opening, which will be closed by a lid (not shown). The bottom wall curves transversely of the box at 4 to merge with side walls 5. Inner and outer rear end walls 7, 8 form a pocket 9 between them for receiving a dust and oil guard and seal (not shown). The box top wall 10 rests upon a removable wedge 12 seated on a bearing 14. The axle includes a hub portion 16, a dust guard portion 17, a journal 18 having an end collar 19. All the above described structure has long been in common use.

The lubricator includes a frame 21 resting on the box bottom wall, a distributor 23 carried by the frame and applied to the underface of the journal and having a collapsible pump chamber 25 depending therefrom and actuated by a bell crank lever 27. The frame includes wire loops 31 and 32 with intermediate coils 26 surrounding a transverse shaft 29, the ends of which are journaled in brackets 30 resting upon the box bottom Wall and provided with cup-like elements 28.

The right hand end of loop 31 is seated against box end wall 7 and limits the movement of the lubricator to the right. The lubricator is held in the position indicated by a rigid U-shaped member having legs 33 slidable in cup-like elements 31 and connected by a handle cross bar 34. A coil spring 35 surrounds each leg 33 and is compressed between a cup-like element 28 and a washer 37 seated against projections 39 formed on the leg. A cotter 41 through the inner end of each leg 33 limits its outward movement by the spring. A clip 42 is welded to box wall 3 and has inwardly offset portions 43 which are engaged by handle cross bar 34 to retain the lubricator assembly in place. When the Inbricator is to be removed, handle 34 is pressed downatent ice 2 wardly against the thrust of springs 35 and swung inwardly to release it from retainer 42, 43 and the lubricator may be pulled out of the box.

Distributor 23 comprises a bottom plate 61 having depending ears 63 journaled on a transverse shaft 65 carried by coils 67 on the inner upper end of frame part 32. The collapsible pump chamber 25 depending from the forward portion of plate 61 has an intake valve at its lower end and a discharge valve at its upper end which leads through plate 61. Bell crank operating lever 27 journaled on shaft 29 includes a horizontal arm 67 terminating in a screen 69- engaging the lower end of pump chamber 25. The upright arm of lever 27 extends forwardly and upwardly in front of the forward end of the distributor and above its level; so as to oppose the end face of collar 19 and be actuated by the latter when it shifts to the left. This collapses pump chamber 25 and forces lubricant through the discharge opening into the distributor. When the journal shifts to the right the bell crank lever is rotated in a clockwise direction by the thrust of the pump chamber spring 71 which also draws lubricant into the lower end of the chamber. In reality, lever arms 27 and 67 are journaled on shaft 29 independently of each other but are yieldingly held in the relative position indicated by a torsion spring 73 coiled about shaft 29 and bearing, under thrust, against the lower faces of each of the bell crankarms.

A sheet 75 of fibrous material such 25 felt covers the entire surface of plate 61 and has flaps 77, 78 depending from the edges of plate 71 The adjacent edges of flaps 77 are secured together at 79 (Figure 4) and form a rectangular deep frame enclosingv chamber 25 and frame carrier 32 and forming an extended wick-like body serving as a retainer for lubricant which has been pumped to the distributor. Preferably a sheet, 81 of relatively hard surface fibrous material such as cotton cord and consisting of a plurality of upstanding loops or piles overlies felt pad 75 and provides an additional lubricant retainer member cooperating with pad 75, 77, 78 to feed lubricant to the journal by capillary attraction when the journal begins rotation after an extended idle period and before the pump becomes effective.

The lower edge of the forward flap 78 is recessed upwardly at 83 to accommodate movement of the bell crank and the passage of the distributor support 32. When the device is in service, the coils between frame members 31, 32 are compressed and the lower edges of flaps 77 are in contact with the bottom of the sump formed by the journal box. The hindmost flap 78 has lateral extensions 85 with upwardly and outwardly extending lower edges shaped to seat against the box lower wall 4. These flap extensions will tend to prevent splashing of oil over the lower portions of rear end wall 7 and into the Well 9. This will reduce loss of oil.

The details of the structure may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway axle journal lubricator, a frame adapted to seat upon the bottom wall of a journal box, and including an upwardly extending part, a distributor carried by said frame part and including a plate member having an upwardly facing concave face arranged for application to the lower face of an axle journal, a collapsible pump chamber depending from said plate and spaced inwardly from the edges thereof, a bell crank lever pivoted on said frame with one arm extending under the lower portion of said pump and the other arm extending upwardly beyond one end of said plate, there being a passage for lubricant from the upper end of said pump through said plate, and a flexible sheet of fibrous material overlying said plate and having an upwardly facing portion of substantially rectangular outline with a depending fiap at each end and side, said flaps being securd'together along their adjacent edges to form a wall-like rectangular frame surrounding the distributor plate member, the frame part carrying the distributor and the pump chamber, the depending flap at the end of the distributor remote from the bell crank projecting laterally beyond the depending flaps at the sides of the distributor and forming upright wings with upwardly and outwardly flaring lower edges for fitting the side walls of the journal box in which the distributor isplaced.

2. In combination with a railway axle journal and a load carrying box mounted thereon and having an upwardly extending front wall provided with an opening for receiving lubrication for the journal, a retaining clip secured to the inner face of said wall immediately below said opening, a lubricator comprising a support frame, a distributor carried thereby above the level of the bottom of the box, a pump leading from the bottom of the box to said distributor, a lever fulcrumed on the support frame and operating the pump by shifting of the journal in the box, and a U-shaped device positioning the frame, pump and distributor in the box, and having a handle-forming cross bar normally engaging the underried by said frame part, means for supplying lubricant to the distributor including a pump chamber and a lever fulcrumed on the frame and actuated by contact with a journal to which the distributor is applied, means for positioning the frame in the box comprising an elongated element extending from the part of the frame on which the lever is fulcrumed beneath and beyond the distributor to engage a journal box rear end wall, and a positioning unit of U-shape extending forwardly and upwardly from the said frame part and having legs, pivoted to and slidable lengthwise in the end of said frame part, and provided with a cross bar between the outer ends of said legs forming a handle for inserting and removing the lubricator into and from a journal box. I

4. In a railway axle journal lubricator, a frame adapted to seat upon the bottom wall of a journal box, and including an upwardly extending part, a distributor carried by said frame part, an extensible holder part extending forwardly and upwardly from said frame and including a U-shaped part having legs slidably received in said frame and having a cross bar forming a handle for thrusting the lubricator into a journal box and removing it therefrom, spring means anchored to the holder and tending to thrust it into extended position.

5. In a railway axle journal lubricator, a frame including a lower part adapted to seatupon the bottom wall of a journal box, and including an upwardly extending part, a distributor carried by said latter-mentioned frame part and including a plate member having an upwardly facing concave face arranged for application to the lower face of an axle journal, a collapsible pump chamber depending from said plate and spaced inwardly from the edges thereof, a flexible sheet of fibrous material overlying said plate and extending throughout the length and width thereof and having depending flaps at the sides and ends of said plate extending downwardly to the level of said frame lower part and forming a wall- References Cited in the file of. this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,250,811 Pearce July 29, 1941 2,260,520 Hennessy Oct. 28, 1941 2,660,489 Hennessy Nov. 24, 1953 2,807,803 Rockwell Sept, 24, 1957 

